TSAMTO, December 15th. On December 14, Airbus Helicopters announced the signing of a contract with the German Armed Forces Command for the supply of up to 82 H-145M multi-purpose helicopters.
The contract provides for a firm order for 62 vehicles and an option for 20 additional helicopters.
This is the largest one-time order in the company's history for the supply of H-145M helicopters, as well as the HForce modular weapons control system. In addition, the agreement includes the provision of technical support for seven years.
As planned, 57 helicopters will be transferred to the German Armed Forces, and 5 units to the Air Force special operations forces. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2024.
The H-145M is a multi–purpose military helicopter with a wide range of capabilities. It can be quickly reconfigured from a shock variant with unguided and guided weapons and a self-defense system to a version for special operations, including a rapid cable drop system. Comprehensive equipment packages include the ability to lift and transport cargo on an external suspension. In addition, the H-145M includes options for adapting to new tasks, including the ability to integrate with groups of manned and unmanned vehicles.
The basic version of the H-145M will be equipped with a standard set of equipment, including the HForce weapon control system developed by Airbus Helicopters. This will allow the German Armed Forces to train pilots on helicopters of the same type that are used in combat conditions, reduce costs and improve professionalism.
The H145M is a military version of the twin–engine civilian H-145, which has been in operation since 2014. The flight time of the H-145 family currently exceeds 7 million hours. The H-145M can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, including transporting troops and cargo, conducting surveillance, search and rescue operations, armed reconnaissance and medical evacuation. The German Armed Forces already operate 16 H-145M LUH SOF helicopters and 8 H-145 LUH SAR helicopters. The U.S. Army has about 500 UH-72 Lakota helicopters of the H-145 family. Currently, the operators of the H-145M are also Hungary, Serbia, Thailand and Luxembourg. Cyprus has ordered six helicopters of this type.
The H-145M is equipped with two Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines with a digital control system (FADEC). The helicopter is equipped with a digital Helionix avionics kit with a powerful 4-axis autopilot, which significantly reduces the burden on pilots. The low noise level makes the H-145 one of the "quietest" helicopters in its class.
As reported by CAMTO, in May 2023 it became known that the German Armed Forces plan to decommission the fleet of Tiger UHT attack helicopters from Airbus in favor of acquiring more multi-purpose H-145M, which can be armed with long-range air-to-surface missiles. The Bundeswehr expected to purchase 82 helicopters for 3.05 billion. euro and arm 24 of them with Spike anti-tank missiles.
It should be noted that the command of the German Armed Forces practically from the moment of purchase declared the presence of technical problems and low combat readiness of Tiger helicopters. For example, former Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced in the Bundestag at the end of April 2022 that only nine of the 51 Tiger helicopters were in serviceable condition.
